


Stay

by cricketss



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Drunk Kissing, F/F, Fluff, Homecoming, Light Angst, Manipulation, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, Toxic friendship, Underage Drinking, Unrequited Crush, Violet's Grandmother is alive and well, brief unrequited Clementine/Louis, just normal high-school, minerva and clementine are both on the baseball team, no boarding school, poor vi, small town, that's it that's the whole fic, they're all in junior year, unrequited Clementine/Gabe, unrequited Violet/Minerva, vegan James
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23665933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cricketss/pseuds/cricketss
Summary: Violet could say she is accustomed to getting her heart broken. First by her parents, then by her best friend, and, well, when Louis decides it would be a good idea to integrate Ericson High's star athlete into their group of friends, she soon realizes Clementine will become yet another item to add to that list.For some reason, this time, she's okay with it.......Or, alternatively, yet another high-school AU because there can never be too many.
Relationships: Carley/Lee Everett, Clementine & Gabriel García, Clementine & Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), James (Walking Dead: Suffer The Children)/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Minerva & Violet
Comments: 27
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> it's 2020, i'm writing violentine fanfiction, wassup my dudes.

  
Violet shivered. The cold air pricked at her skin, slipping under her sleeves. She definitely should’ve put a jacket on. It was an unfamiliar feeling for her, since she was typically the one to dress too warm and end up sweating, not the other way around. It was only the end of September. She was hoping it wouldn’t get cold so soon. She hated the cold.  
  
Another thing she hated was waiting for Minerva, which was the exact reason why she sat shivering at a street corner right then. It was a routine that had developed between the girls since freshman year. She would always leave her house on time, sometimes even early, walk to her and Minnie’s meeting spot and end up waiting for Minerva, and then they would be late. School had only started a few weeks ago, and Violet was already gathering quite the absence marks. She was glad her parents didn’t ask her because she didn’t know how to explain it. They probably thought she was going God knows where.

Violet checked the time again. She had already waited fifteen minutes. Where was Minerva? What was she doing? They were gonna be late again. A strong gust of wind blew past her, and Violet wrapped her arms around herself, as if that could warm her up. If only it wouldn’t have been so cold, the wait would have been more bearable. Violet looks at the way towards Ericson High and ponders leaving. Alone. She could just go, it wasn’t like anyone was holding her in place. If she left then, she could still make it before classes started. Minerva could walk to school on her own.

But Violet doesn’t do that. Because she and Minerva always walk to school together. Because it’s their thing. Because it’s been that way since freshman year. Because she likes walking to school with Minerva, because she wants to see Minerva, because she misses her, even though she just saw her the day before.   
But most of all, because Minerva would be mad at her if she did.

Violet can’t help but check her phone again. Another three minutes had passed. She taps her foot on the concrete. She bites her lip. She imagines Packerton’s face, asking her why she is late. Again. She opens her conversation with Minerva.

_11:47_ **Violet** : where are u?????

_11:50_ **Minnie** : just left home

_11:50_ **Violet** : what???? hurry up!!!!!

_11:52_ **Minnie** : chill im hurrying

Violet huffs, boring holes into her phone’s screen. Yeah right. She looks up, her eyes wandering over the streets. A group of kids are passing on the sidewalk in front of her. She figures they’re freshmen, because she doesn’t recognize any of their faces. One of them cracks a joke Violet doesn’t quite hear, and they all burst into laughter. Violet looks back down at her phone.

An idea pops into her mind, and she chuckles to herself. Her lips form an amused smile as she taps away at her phone.

_11:55_ **Violet** : minerva im leaving. you can go to school on your own

_11:56_ **Minnie** : what?!!!!! im almost there

_11:56_ **Minnie** : you’re such an asshole

_11:56_ **Minnie** : I always wait for you

Violet’s smile drops. So does her heart, now buried in the pit of her stomach, and she feels like she is suffocating. The world darkens and closes in around her. She hadn’t meant to upset Minerva. She reads her text again, wishing she could erase it with her eyes as they go over it. Fuck, she was such a jerk that she didn’t even realize it anymore. She hurries to apologize.

_11:57_ **Violet** : sorry. I was joking. I’m waiting for you.

She stares at the bottom of the text, waiting for Minerva to see it. She holds her breath, and it feels like her life depends on those checkmarks turning blue. Her eyes keep reading the conversation, and she wonders when Minerva had ever waited for her. She had probably forgotten about it. When three whole minutes pass, she realizes Minerva wasn’t planning on reading it.

Great. Now her waiting was coated in a thick layer of anxiety, too. What if Minerva was mad at her? Violet hated it when she was mad. She hated fighting with Minerva. She hated it. It was the worst. It made her feel like-

“Violet!”

Violet’s head snapped to the sound of her voice. And there was Minerva, walking towards her with wide, confident steps, her green, wool-lined jacket thrown over her shoulders and her wide smile adorning her face. Her eyes were trailed on Violet’s.

Violet breathed out a sigh of relief. Minerva didn’t look mad. Which was confusing, but Violet wasn’t about to complain. And she can’t help the smile that pulls at her own lips as she locks eyes with her friend. She couldn’t push it down if she wanted to. Minerva just had that effect on her. The mere sight of her made Violet feel like everything was alright.

“See? Told you I was almost here,” Minerva smiles, revealing her bright teeth, as she stops in front of her. Violet can’t help but notice how red her lips are.

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right. We’re still super late.” She remembers she’s just gained another absence mark.

Minerva’s smile falters. “Oh, come on. I have to see you before anyone else,” she says. Violet doesn’t miss how she accentuates the ‘you,’ and she knows Minerva doesn’t mean anything by it, but her heart still flutters. “I missed you, c’mon, give me a hug.” Minerva opens her arms and doesn’t wait for an answer before enveloping Violet in them.

Minerva smells of perfume, and something else that is distinctly Minerva, and the wool of her hood is soft against Violet’s nose, and she’s warm, and Violet doesn’t feel the cold wind anymore. She sneaks her thin arms under Minnie’s jacket and squeezes her middle. She feels her warmth engulfing her hands, and she buries her nose deeper in her shoulder, and she closes her eyes, and she’s lost somewhere else. Somewhere where they aren’t sitting at a street corner and where they aren’t late for school and where they aren’t just friends.

And then Minerva pulls away. And Violet is jerked back into the real world. And they’re late for school. And Violet no longer cares about her absence marks and no longer regrets waiting for Minerva, and she thinks of telling her to fuck school and go spend the day together.  
But the last time she proposed that to her, Minerva had said no and called her irresponsible.

“Let’s go,” Minerva says, and they start walking towards their school. She has quickened her pace, and Violet has to struggle to keep up with her long strides.

“So,” Violet begins, her eyes scanning over the cracks in the pavement, “why were you so late anyway?” She chances a look at Minerva.

Minerva huffs, and Violet’s shoulders tense, and she doesn’t even realize that she’s holding her breath. “I was fighting with my parents.”

“O-Oh, what was it ab-”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Minerva cuts her off, and her tone doesn’t leave room for questions. Her eyes remain focused forward, not once having turned to look at her friend.

Violet doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know if she should say anything at all. So she settles on a simple “okay.”

“And can you stop texting me so much when I’m late? It’s not gonna make me arrive faster, you know,” Minerva says, still looking ahead.

Violet nods.

…………………………………………………………………………………

  
“So do you have baseball practice today?” James asks as Clementine plops down on the seat between him and Gabe.

“Yup. Every other day until the big game.” Clementine sighs and starts pulling her textbooks from her backpack. She had had the same one since eight grade. It was a big, greenish-brown backpack that looked more like something you would take camping than something you would use for school. But considering how many things Clementine carried with her, she appreciated the extra space. She frowned as a string caught on her finger, almost cutting her from the force she pulled at it with. It wouldn’t last much longer.

“Man, isn’t that a little much? When are we gonna hang out anymore?” Gabe complains, his face morphing into a pout.

Clementine turns to him and shrugs, an apology in her eyes. “You know how Lily is, she wants us to be the best we can.” She pauses, studying the new caricatures adorning her desk, before a thought crosses her mind. “Fuck, I just hope Minerva won’t be a bitch again.” Her eyes narrow. “You know, I really thought maybe she had changed over break, but no, she’s still such an annoying- ughh” Clementine covers her head in frustration, her breathing heavy and her chest on fire. It was no secret to anyone in the school that she and Minerva were sick of each other. Clementine was typically diplomatic and understanding, but she couldn’t contain her frustration when she didn’t even know what she had ever done to the other girl.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that,” James says, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Gabe explodes. “Oh my God, has she been picking on you again?! I swear to God, the next time she starts anything, I’m gonna break her fucking nose myself. And her fucking friend’s. I’d like to see them-”

“GABE!” James snaps at him, momentarily shocking both him and Clementine.

It doesn’t last long, however. “What?!” Gabe narrows his eyes at him. “You mean to tell me you’re okay with her making jabs at Clementine all the time?!”

“No! But you can’t break her nose just because she makes rude comments!” James narrows his own eyes at Gabe.

“Watch me,” Gave shoots back.

“Will you both stop it?!” Clementine raises her voice and her head, turning to look at both of them, like a parent admonishing her children.

Gabe and James both look in each other’s eyes for a few moments, before Gabe huffs and looks away.

“I’d say you just ignore her, Clementine,” James says. “I mean… it’s clear she does it out of jealousy anyway.” He smiles as he looks at the rest of the teenagers filling the classroom.

“Yeah,” Gabe agrees. “I mean, it’s not a surprise. You’re smart, you’re good at sports, people like you, y-you’re pretty,” he says the last one as more of an after-thought, but something tells Clementine it isn’t. “I mean, you’re like the perfect girl, who wouldn’t be jealous of you?” He promptly looks somewhere at the wall to Clementine’s right.

Clementine chuckles, trying to catch Gabe’s gaze. When he doesn’t turn to face her, she bumps her elbow into his. “Then why aren’t you?” she asks, amused, a smile lingering on her face.

Gabe sputters, his eyes flying around the classroom, looking anywhere but at Clementine. “Well, b-because I’m your friend?”

Clementine and James both laugh. Gabe presses his lips together and rolls his eyes, then crosses his arms over his chest and looks ahead.

Clementine shakes her head, returning her attention to her desk. She knows Gabe has a crush on her. Everyone knows Gabe has a crush on her. Gabe is the only one who thinks it’s a secret. And well… she wishes she returned his feelings, but she doesn’t. A thick hollowness fills her stomach. It’s not that she’s a cold-hearted bitch, she always has to remind herself. She does crave that type of intimate relationship with someone, she really does. Just not with Gabe. She squeezes her eyes shut. She hates thinking about this. She doesn’t want to hurt Gabe, and she doesn’t want to lose him as a friend either. He was her oldest friend, they had known each other since middle school. A slight tremble takes over her hands.

“Can you believe high-school is halfway over?” Gabe asks, pulling her out of her mind and back to the real world, and she wishes she could thank him.

“No, not really.” Clementine shakes her head.

“I mean,” Gabe grips his desk with one hand and leans his chair back, “absolutely nothing has happened these past two years. I wish I would’ve made more memories and more friends.” He looks ahead, a displeased expression on his face.

“Should I inform you that the lack of friends and memories is entirely your fault?” James chuckles, looking at him.

“Hey, how is it my fault that-”

“Maybe if you would’ve put yourself out there more instead of trailing after Clementine every day, you’d have more friends and experiences by now,” James says, the smile never leaving his face. His eyes are trailed on Gabe’s, and Gabe frowns at him, looking beyond tired.

Gabe opens his mouth to say something, but Clementine decides she cannot take any more of their bickering for now. “Come on, guys, this isn’t anyone’s fault. Everybody knows high-school isn’t the great adventure you see in movies. I, for one, am happy I get to spend it with the two of you.” She smiles at both of them, trying to express her sincerity with her eyes.  
  
“I’m happy I get to spend it with you, too,” Gabe hurries to clarify. “It’s just… y’ know…” he trails off, and then the teacher enters the class, and everybody quiets down.

The conversation is over, and Clementine tries to focus her attention on what Mr. Walker is saying. But her mind lingers on Gabe’s words. She can’t deny that she agrees with him. She had had high expectations for high-school, just like every kid who grew up watching TV shows about it. The real experience had been lackluster in comparison. She, too, wished for more, but she would never say that out loud. Because she had Gabe and James, and she had her family, and she loved all of them. She didn’t need anyone else. 

………………………………………………………

  
Clementine pushed past the people in the cafeteria, trying to locate Gabe and James in the mass of students. She had gotten held up in her last class, having to talk to the teacher. Miss Jackson wanted her to participate in a contest, and of course, she said yes. She had made James and Gabe go ahead without her, despite the latter’s protests. 

An elbow jabbed her in her side. She turned around to frown at the person, but they were already long lost in the crowd. Clementine let out a sigh of frustration, narrowed her eyes, and stood up on her tiptoes, trying to see over the people around her. If only she was taller. Spotting Gabe and James was a lost cause. She pressed her lips together and started, hopefully, making her way towards their usual table, figuring that’s probably where they were.

Clementine tightened her grip on her tray, anxiety bubbling in her stomach as she noticed how many people bumped it while walking past her. The absolute last thing she needed right then was ketchup on her shirt.

She pushed past the crowd, giving her own fair share of elbows in other people’s sides. If they were gonna be assholes, she wasn’t about to treat them differently. As people began sitting down, the crowd dissipated, and she let out a sigh of relief as she spotted Gabe and James at their usual table.

They both smiled as they saw her, and she returned it. Her shoulder relaxed as she locked eyes with them, making her way over with a lot more confidence than before.

“Hey, Clementine,” Gabe waved at her, a grin on his face. Clementine let out a huff and shook her head.

And she collided with someone.  
  
And when she felt the tray turn and felt it’s cold back press against her stomach, it was too late. Clementine stumbled back. The tray fell on the floor, it’s clatter louder than all the chatter around them.

A stunned Minerva sat in front of her, ketchup and cabbage sauce staining her blue blouse. Clementine held her breath, her eyes trailing from her stomach up to her eyes. For a moment, Minerva didn’t look angry. Her eyebrows were raised, and her lips were parted, and her shoulders formed a rigid, straight line.

“What the FUCK?!” she shouted, and Clementine squeezed her eyes shut. “You bitch!” Minerva doesn’t move, holding her own breath. She looks at Clementine like she wishes she could end her very existence.

“I’m sorry,” Clementine raises her palms in front of herself. “I didn’t mean to, it was an accident!” she speaks fast, tries looking into Minerva’s eyes, tries communicating in any way she could that she didn’t mean to.

“Yeah fucking right! So then you’re just an idiot who doesn’t fucking look where she walks?!” Minerva shouts at her, relaxing her posture and throwing her arms out. Her previously frozen body now looks like it’s boiling, and pure anger shadows her eyes.

“Hey, it was a fucking accident!” Gabe shouts from the table. Clementine pinches the bridge of her nose.

Minerva turns to him, eyebrows raised, and she looks like she is about to eat Gabe alive. Her friend grips her arm before she can respond.

“Minnie come on, they’re just a bunch of idiots. It’s not worth it.” Clementine turns to the girl, only now noticing her presence. 

Violet. Or, she hoped that was her name. Clementine usually referred to her as ‘Minerva’s friend.’ They were always together. Always. They were so inseparable that rumors were going around the school that they were a little more than just friends. At first, Clementine didn’t believe them. Because Violet had seemed like a nice girl. Hell, she and James had used to be friends. Clementine couldn’t comprehend why she would be into Minerva, of all people, who was such an absolute bitch. But now that she thought about it, Minerva had seemed like a nice girl at the beginning of high-school, too.

Regardless, it wasn’t long before the girl had showed her true nature. Clementine, despite her conflict with Minerva, could say that she didn’t have anything against the girl’s friends. Because none of them had ever done anything to her. None of them had ever gotten involved and taken Minerva’s side in fights. None of them except for Violet.

It was as if she was totally blind to the girl’s actions. No matter how in the wrong Minerva was, Violet still took her side, attacking Clementine. It made her blood boil. It made her want to rip the hair off her own scalp. It made her face feel hot and sweaty. It made her stomp home and throw her backpack in the corner of the room with all the force she could muster, hoping it would break.

She felt that same anger tingling under her skin right then, as Violet looked at her out of the corner of her eye, as if she wished nothing more than for Clementine to just disappear.

“Hey, I said I was sorry! It’s obvious I didn’t mean to fucking spill my lunch on you, ok?!” she shouts, no longer feeling any remorse.

“As if I believe that! It’s always you, Clementine! I know you have something against me!”

“Who the fuck are you calling an idiot, blondie?!”

“GABE!”

“Minnie, please!”

“Shut up, Violet! Don’t you see what she did?! Whose fucking side are you on?!”

“Yours, obviously!”

“I didn’t fucking do it on purpose!”

“James, let go of me!”

“HEY!” A loud thud reverberates through the cafeteria, and everyone snaps their heads towards it. Louis stands up at his table, leaning forwards on his palms, flat against its surface. A deep frown hangs on his face, as his eyes fix each of theirs one by one. He glazes over Clementine’s for only a second. Then he starts making his way over.

“Can one single day pass without you two trying to bite each other’s head off?!” He stops in front of Clementine and Minerva and puts his hands on his shoulders.

“Louis this isn’t about you.” Minerva scoffs, the frown on her face deepening, her eyes fixating Louis with an emotion Clementine can’t quite decipher.

“It isn’t about Violet or Gabe either, but I see everyone is free to get involved.” Louis shrugs and matches her stare.

“She ruined my fucking blouse!” Minerva motions to the red and orange stains on her stomach. Some parts had dried, crusting the material, while others were still wet, sticking to the skin underneath in a definitely unpleasant way. Clementine cringes, and she begins feeling a little bad, but not overly so. Minerva deserved it.

Clementine opens her mouth to defend herself, to repeat for the tenth time that it was an accident, but Louis beats her to it.

“It was obviously an accident! You’re always targeting her, can you fucking leave her alone for like, one day?!” Louis shouts at her. Clementine looks at him with wide eyes. She realizes she’s never seen Louis this angry. Or rather, she’s never seen Louis angry at all.

Clementine glances around. Gabe is looking at Louis with a conflicted expression, while James’ arms hang loosely around his shoulders. Minerva and Louis are now in their own world, the battle between them almost palpable between their eyes. Violet has her head turned to the floor, her arms crossed, and her shoulders hunched up to her ears, and she looks like she’d rather be anywhere but there.

Clementine feels great now that someone like Louis has finally taken her side.

“Why are you taking her side? What is this? Is there something going on that I’m not aware of?” Minerva asks, and the implications she’s alluding to are clear, but the bite has left her voice, now hoarse and empty.

“Yeah. You don’t ever seem to be aware of how unfair you are. She apologized. Let it go.” Louis answers without missing a beat.

There are a few moments of silence, when Minerva just stares at him, betrayal swimming in her gaze. And for a second, it seems like she might continue, but then she huffs and walks away, Violet trailing behind her. 

Clementine can’t blame her. Louis is popular. He’s more popular than Clementine. Yeah, he’s part of the same group as Minerva, but he gets along with everyone in the school. Everybody likes him. And in high-school, that matters.

Clementine tries to subdue the satisfied smile forming on her lips as she watches Minerva walk away.

She turns to Louis. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

Louis raises a palm in front of her. “Don’t mention it. I couldn’t just sit by and let Minerva unleash her wrath on someone like that.” He laughs, and Clementine can’t help herself, laughing too, already caught in Louis’s magnetism.

“Especially,” he looks to the side, as if hiding a secret, before his gaze snaps back, locking with Clementine’s, “someone as pretty as you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> people hated minerva way more than I thought they would lmao. i didn't think she was THAT bad. anyways dw, she's not a huge part of the story, she's just here to cause conflict in the beginning

Clementine can feel the silence. She can feel everybody’s gaze on her neck. Or at least Gabe’s. Her heart doesn’t pound, like she imagined it would. It’s still and quiet. She feels as if a web is sown over her, too thin to be visible, but way too strong to let her move. And she can’t unlock her eyes from Louis’s. She wonders if he can tell how stunned she is.

“I’m kidding!” Louis smiles even wider and raises his palms in front of him. He breathes out a laugh, but Clementine notices how his eyes glaze over.

She laughs too, and as the air fills her lungs again, she can feel the tension around her dissipating. Her cheeks are warm, but she knows deep down that it’s from embarrassment and awkwardness, not anything else.

Clementine opens her mouth to say something, but then Gabe clears his throat from behind. “Clementine, lunch is almost over. We need to get to our classes.”

That’s when she notices everyone else shuffling out of their seats, gathering in groups, and beginning to slither out of the cafeteria. She curses in her mind. So much for lunch. Now she wouldn’t be able to eat anything until she got home.

Louis seems like he notices how she crinkles her eyes and casts them to the floor. “Sorry.” He gives a small shrug. “Hey, what do you have next?”

Clementine looks up at him. “Chemistry.” She presses her lips into a thin line, as if she tasted something sour.

Louis brightens up. “So do I! I can walk you!”

Clementine tries to subdue her smile as she frowns at Louis. “You really don’t have to,” she says, shaking her head.

“But I want to! Or,” he pauses, squinting, “would you prefer it if we just both start walking in the same direction and awkwardly ignore one another?” He smiles.

Clementine laughs. She wants to say yes, but she can also feel Gabe standing right behind her. It seems like Louis notices him because he quickly speaks again. “Unless you’re going with your friends?” he asks, looking around her.

Clementine turns to see Gabe’s rigid expression. “I have History,” he mutters, as if History was some highly contagious disease, not just a high-school class. His eyes are pointed somewhere between Clementine and Louis.

“Well then,” Louis turns to her, his smile somehow even broader than before.

“Gabe, come on!” James shouts from the cafeteria door.

……………………………………………………

  
“Listen, don’t worry about Minerva. That’s just how she is, it doesn’t have anything to do with you,” Louis tells her as they’re walking down the halls.

Louis walks with his shoulders straight but still relaxed, and his steps are wide. He keeps his nose high and his eyes ahead, as if he’s always searching for something. He doesn’t fully turn to Clementine when he talks, but when he does look at her, his eyes are so warm, and it’s not just their color. Clementine understands why he has so many friends.

“Yeah, but… it seems like she takes special pleasure in yelling at me, specifically,” Clementine says, her voice low and quiet. “Why did you help me, anyway? Aren’t you two, like, friends?” She looks at Louis, trying to gauge from his expression if she’s upset him, but his face is neutral, probably intentionally.

“Um.” Louis’s face contorts, and his facade seems to crumble. He darts his eyes to Clementine as a smile tugs at his lips. “So, maybe keep this a secret, but like, honestly? I can’t really stand Minerva either.” His tone is a mixture of light and serious. She briefly wonders if he’s saying that because it’s true or if he’s saying it to please her.

Clementine hums.

“And I wish Violet wouldn’t hang out with her so much. I mean, I keep trying to talk to her but-”

“She didn’t use to be so bad,” Clementine admits, surprising herself as much as Louis. She keeps her eyes trailed on the planks in the floor, but she can feel Louis’s questioning eyes on her, edging her to continue, to explain. She crosses her arms over her chest. “I mean, we used to be friends, kinda, at the beginning. You know, with both of us being on the team and all. She used to be sorta cool.” She shrugs. “I don’t know what happened.”

“Yeah! Yeah, she was cool when Violet introduced her to me!” Louis exclaims. He takes a deep breath as his eyes go back to looking ahead. Clementine looks back at him, but she can tell he’s lost in thought. She decides to let the conversation end.

Clementine spots the Chemistry classroom in front of them, and they walk in silence until they reach it. Just before she can go inside, however, Louis steps in front of her.

“So!” he begins, like an excited kid. Clementine turns to him. Louis playfully narrows his eyes. “Before we go inside and Mrs. Rosenberg bores us to death, do you wanna, maybe, give me your phone number? So we can talk?” He smiles at Clementine, his eyes half hopeful and half begging.

Clementine huffs and shakes her head.

……………………………………………………………

  
“Fucking Louis! What a great friend!” Minerva smashes her locker’s door shut, and the bang reverberates through the small room.

“Minerva!” Violet shouts, it’s loud clatter only aggravating her further. “You can’t just blow up like that!” Her narrowed eyes catch Minerva’s seething ones. The air in the room is thick, both from the stench of sweat that is specific to Ericson’s locker rooms and from the boiling anger radiating off of Minerva herself. “We made Louis mad…” Violet lowers her eyes to the floor as a pained expression overtakes her face. The embarrassment she felt when Louis came up to stop them is still knotting her stomach. She was gonna have to talk to him later.

Minerva gives her a look. “So now you’re both turning against me? So both of my friends are taking her side.” She huffs, her frown deepening.

Violet squints, looking at her. “What? I’m not taking Clementine’s side-!”

“Yeah you are!” Minerva raises her voice. It doesn’t sound smooth and deep, like before. It sounds hoarse. It sounds rough. It sounds like it hurts. “If you weren’t, you would’ve defended me, but no! All you wanted was to rescue her!”

Violet clenches her jaw. She feels her own blood flowing to her head. “Minerva, I’m always defending you!” She glares at her. “But I was there, I saw it happen, it was an accident!” Violet throws her arms out, frustration filling her body. Her mind is too cluttered, and it’s going too fast. She always takes Minerva’s side. Always, even when she knows she’s wrong, because that’s what friends do, and because Minerva always defends her, too.

And Minerva could be one hell of an asset in fights. Walking with her around the school was kind of like having your own personal bodyguard. Violet could still recall the shock that froze her whole body when Minerva broke one of the old senior’s nose just because he wasn’t leaving her alone. She never saw that guy again after.

But Violet was tired. Minerva got into too many fights. Too many of them with Clementine. Too many of them entirely Minerva’s fault. Yeah, Clementine never backed down either, Violet bitterly thinks, but still. She was beginning to feel a little guilty.

Minerva fixes her with her stare. There’s a mixture of both anger and hurt in her eyes. A slight tremble overtakes her hands as she balls them up into fists. “I’m the one who had my fucking blouse ruined! Why does nobody fucking see that?!” she shouts, and Violet cringes at the strain in her voice. Minerva shudders as her shoulders slump, the anger leaving her as defeat takes over. In one final moment of fury, she kicks the locker under hers with all of her force.

Violet jumps, the sound too loud and too violent and too aggravating. Her eyes fly to the locker. Minerva’s boot had left a visible dent in it. The metal was thin and cheap, but still. She curses in her mind. It’s Ruby’s. She’s definitely gonna be mad. Violet’s head hurts just thinking about all the fighting that is yet to follow. Her heart feels heavy, like someone is pushing down on it. She wishes Minerva would just… stop.

She raises her eyes to look at Minerva again, to tell her to calm down again, but she pauses as she sees her face. Minerva’s eyes are downcast. And red. Small tears are gathering under them.

Violet’s heart tightens with a whole new kind of tension.

“Which, y’ know,” Minerva throws the shirt she got from her locker on the bench next to her, “I still have to change.” She motions to her blouse and brings her hands, which are slightly trembling, to its hem.

Violet has already turned away from the moment she had motioned to it, getting the signal. Minerva doesn’t do it for herself. She doesn’t mind. She does it for Violet, after all the times she had exasperatedly told her to give her a warning. Violet hears shuffling behind her, and she wonders if Minerva is done. 

“You can turn around,” Minerva says, dismissively, as if she could read her thoughts.

Violet does. Minerva now has one of her sport shirts on. It’s white and large and completely hides her slim frame. She’s not looking at Violet, focusing all of her attention on putting her blouse in her backpack. Focusing way too much of her attention. Violet carefully studies her face. Her eyes seem dry now, and her hands are steady. But Violet can’t be grateful for how much lighter the room feels. Because Violet knows she’s not ok.

“Minerva,” she begins, cautious.

Something in her tone makes Minerva tense. “Don’t waste your breath. I get it.” Minerva’s tone is firm as she burns holes into the floor. “Everybody hates me. My parents hate me. My friends hate me.” She shrugs her shoulder in Violet’s direction. “You hate me.”

For a moment, Violet just stares at her. “Minerva that’s not true-”

“It sure feels like it!” Minerva shouts, fully turning to her, and it’s just like a dam breaking. Her arms fly to cover her face as tears start falling from her eyes. She curses. Before Violet can move, she walks back and slumps down on a bench next to the wall.

Minerva is the type of person who wants everyone to believe that she never cries. Violet is one of the only people who know that’s total bullshit. In most cases, Minerva is even more sensitive than her. But as much as it makes her feel glad that Minerva trusts her, it’s a piece of information that she would readily trade for anything.

Violet hates it when Minerva cries. She hates the pang in her heart as she watches her friend’s shoulders tremble, hates the sound of her shuddering breaths. And she hates that she can’t do anything about it. She’s not the comforting type. She’s not the affectionate type. She doesn’t know what to say or what to do. And in moments like this, she wishes she was someone else. Someone who was a better friend. Someone who could help.

Violet slowly walks over and lowers herself next to her. For a while, Minerva’s quiet sobs are the only sound filling the room. Violet desperately wishes she could lay her hand on her shoulder. Wishes she could do anything to show her she cares. But something keeps her stuck in place, keeps her hands in her lap, as if mended to her jeans. She’s too afraid of being wrong. Too afraid of the repercussions.

After a while, an agonizing while, Minerva calms down on her own, and she speaks again. “This day has been absolute shit.”

Violet nods. She notices the trails her tears had left behind are beginning to dry, and her face is regaining its pale color. But the tension is just as present as before. And Violet knows it won’t disappear until tomorrow, at best. And it’s days like this that she thinks maybe that little voice in the back of her mind that tells her to fuck school and life in general and just go back to sleep every morning is onto something.

A thought crosses her mind. “Fuck, we totally missed class.” She squeezes her eyes shut and lets out a sigh. Her mind already hurts just thinking about who the fuck she was gonna ask for the notes this time.

Minerva rolls her eyes and huffs. “Why do you care so much about that anyway? It’s not like your parents are gonna be mad.”

There’s a beat of silence. Violet’s breath gets caught in her throat, and her mind stops. She forces it to. And she wishes she could force her heart to stop squeezing, too.

“Sorry,” Minerva says. Immediately. And she honestly looks apologetic. Her eyebrows are furrowed in worry, and her eyes are wide, and they’re searching Violet’s. Her hunched shoulders make her seem small and scared. A rare sight.

Violet gulps. Her throat hurts as she does. Everything hurts if she’s being honest. And a part of her wishes she could blow up, just like Minerva did, but she can’t. Because she knows it wouldn’t be fair. Because she knows she’s just overly sensitive. Because Minerva’s parents are worse than hers. Because Minerva’s parents are the ones who will yell at her when they receive the call that their daughter has been missing too much school. Not Violet’s. Violet’s won’t even answer the phone. So how could she possibly act as if she has it worse? How could she possibly even pretend as if she has it just as bad? Sometimes she feels guilty complaining about it at all. Lots of kids wished their parents would leave them alone.

“Whatever,” she says, shaking her head. But that doesn’t make the thought in her mind go away. Doesn’t make the pit in her stomach disappear. And she needs a distraction. Any distraction. “So, what about your parents? Have you… talked to them?” she softens her voice towards the end, and she looks at Minerva. Her eyebrows crinkle in worry as Minerva turns her head to look at the floor, her nails digging into her arms.

“I… I asked Sophie to talk to them. For me,” she answers. Her voice is uncharacteristically small, and Violet knows this is a side of her that besides her family, only she has ever seen.

“And?” Violet presses, trying to catch her gaze, but Minerva keeps her eyes firmly glued to the floor.

“She promised she would.”

…………………………………………………………

  
Clementine walked up to the steps of her home, a small, two-story house, with a front yard. The walls were painted a dark brown color, and adorned by big, thick-rimmed windows. Clementine could see a little into her bedroom from the front of the yard. Which had its pros and cons: on the one hand, if she ever got bored, she could always look out onto the street and observe the people walking by. On the other hand, it made her feel weird that people could see into her room. That’s why her blinds were always closed. Always, except for every time she returned from school, because Carley insisted on opening them every morning. Something about ‘letting the sun in.’

The front porch, which was really just a small raised block of concrete, not even covered in wood or faience, had a permanent layer of dust coating it. A few dried plants occupied the edge connected to the wall, and a few pairs of shoes were thrown next to the door. The mat was slightly moved. Clementine straightened it with her foot. The front yard was a decent size, but except for AJ’s scattered toys, it laid bare. Towards the back end, the grass was beginning to grow out of control. Lee would have to bring out the lawnmower again soon. Besides that, they had a driveway, with room only for one car, but they only had one anyway. And the spot was currently vacant, so Carley wasn’t home.

Carley worked as a reporter, and Lee was a history teacher. Thus, their shifts varied, and Clementine was never sure between which hours they worked every day. She kind of knew Lee’s schedule because it didn’t change much, and he would always text Clementine to pick AJ up from school if he had to work later, but the school year was still new, and there would still be a while before she memorized it. Carley, on the other hand, was always a mystery. So she had a bit of a surprise whenever she came home.

She turns the key, and it clicks as the door unlocks. 

“Clementine!” AJ shouts before she has even opened the door. A smile overtakes her face as she steps inside.

“Hey, goofball,” Clementine carefully locks the door as AJ bounces in front of her, waiting to be noticed.

“How was school? You came later today. Me and Lee made lasagna. Well, Lee made it. But I helped!” AJ had always been a fast talker, the type to move on from one subject to the next without waiting for the other’s input. They were all pretty sure it was just because of his age, and it would subdue with time, but Carley still tried to get him to speak slower whenever it became too much.

Clementine sniffs, and indeed, there is a faint smell of lasagna trailing from the kitchen. It’s probably still in the oven, she figures. She smiles and ruffles AJ’s hair. “Oh yeah? Didn’t know we had a little chef in the house! Soon enough, you’ll be cooking for the whole family!”

AJ giggles and swats her hand away. The loud sound of water running fills the room for a few seconds, coming from the kitchen, before Lee steps out into the living room. 

“Clementine! How was school? You’re late,” he points out. His eyes flicker to the clock hanging above the sofa as he dries his hands on a towel. It’s one of her life’s many mysteries how that clock still works. It’s been there since before she was adopted, and no one ever seems to change it’s batteries, much less adjust it. Lee looks back at her, his eyes waiting for an explanation. But his shoulders are slackened, and his eyes are merely curious. That was one thing she loved about Lee and about Carley. They were always so relaxed, and they trusted her. They were both there for her if she needed it, but never forced their will on her. Well, Carley was a little stricter, but her intentions were always right, and Clementine often found herself glad she had listened to her.

“Sorry.” She brings a hand to cover her face. “I forgot to text. I had practice, Lily has increased it to every other day,” she hurriedly explains.

“Oh.” Lee’s face seems to fall for a moment, but he quickly recovers. “I thought you might’ve been with your friends.”

“Oh, no!” AJ exclaims. “Carley’s gonna be mad.” His eyes crinkle in worry, and Lee laughs as he looks at him and then back at Clementine.

“Yeah,” he nods. “Maybe don’t tell Carley.”

Clementine smiles and nods, although all of them know Carley will find out. And she will be mad. Carley had developed a dismay for Lily, her baseball coach, shortly after Clementine joined the school team. Clementine would come home and tell them how practice went, and Carley would always get annoyed at how mean and demanding she thought she was. Clementine did agree, but she also found it funny how Carley was more affected by it than her. Lee would always try to calm her down, but his success was lackluster. Sometimes he worsened the situation. It all culminated right before Clementine’s last game. Lily had increased the practice to five hours, and Carley had called the school. They won that game, but Clementine lost the admiration Lily had had for her. And she could feel it.

Lee receives a text from Carley telling him she’s on her way, and they decide to start setting the table. Or, more accurately, Clementine sets the table as Lee cuts up the lasagna and puts it on the plates, while AJ bounces on his chair. When they’re done, Clementine hurries upstairs to her room to change. She frowns as she spots one of AJ’s dolls, or, as he always insists, ‘action figures,’ in the middle of her floor. She picks it up and takes it back to his room. AJ liked to play in her bedroom while she was away. It was his way of being close to her. 

Since, unlike her, he was adopted at birth, Carley and Lee figured he wouldn’t have an adjusting problem. And he didn’t. Despite knowing he was adopted, he didn’t seem affected by that, at least not yet, because they were the only family he had ever known. But around when he turned three years old, Lee and Carley’s jobs became more demanding, and they struggled to take care of both of them. So Clementine started taking on the role of parent for AJ too, and during that period, she was the one who spent the most time with him. Eventually, Lee felt guilty and dropped some of his classes in favor of spending more time home with AJ, and their family slowly returned to how it was before. But by that time, AJ had already latched on to Clementine, and although he was a generally well-behaved kid, they could all tell that he didn’t entirely accept Lee and Carley as parents. And now that Clementine was a Junior, she was the one who was home less, and it was taking its toll on AJ.

As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, the front door unlocks, and Carley steps inside. Her shoulders slump instantly as she closes the door without turning, she throws her bag on the floor and immediately takes off her heels, and they join the pile of shoes by the door.

“Hey, Clementine,” she smiles at her, her eyes crinkling and accentuating the small wrinkles forming in their corners, as she locks the door in one smooth motion. Her breathing is heavy, as if she just ran, but it visibly relaxes as she picks up her bag again.

Ten minutes later, they’re all eating dinner. They don’t always eat dinner together. Sometimes Lee is simply too busy. Sometimes Carley has to stay at work until eleven pm. But they always try to. And when they do, it’s always loud. Lee and Carley must talk about their days, and they must know what Clementine and AJ did, too.

So, after Lee tells them about the latest stunt his students pulled, and Carley complains for the third time about Bob from stage management, the attention falls on her. But she doesn’t think telling them about her fight with Minerva would be a good idea, they already knew she never left her alone, and she didn’t want to make them upset, and she promised she wouldn’t tell Carley about practice. She bites the inside of her cheek, thinking over the events of the day, until she settles on, “I made a new friend- I think.”

“That’s great, Clementine!” Carley beams at her.

“I made a new friend too!” AJ jumps in his seat, as if he had just remembered it. He leans over the table on his hands, a broad smile on his face that shows his big teeth.

Clementine laughs as Carley tells him to sit back down, her eyes wide as she subtly pulls his plate away from under him. “What’s their name?” Clementine asks.

“His name’s Tenn,” AJ says, still smiling, as he settles back in his chair, and Carley sighs in relief. “He’s kinda quiet. But cool. I think. We didn’t talk much. But I hope we talk more tomorrow.”

“I think you should,” Lee encourages. Clementine nods. AJ had trouble making friends, and he didn’t seem to understand why he should at all, so the fact that he had found someone he liked enough to consider it made her glad.

“What about you, Clementine?” Lee asks, returning the attention to her.

Clementine purses her lips. “Okay, so, there’s this guy, Louis. I think I’ve told you about him before.”

………………………………………………………………………………………

  
Clementine lays down on her bed. She’s now dressed in her soft, large pajamas, and her hair is still damp from her shower. Carley has closed her window and turned on the radiator while she was in the bathroom. AJ is already in bed, sleeping, hopefully. She’s suddenly aware of how tired she is and can feel the muscles in her back aching. She’s glad the day is over.

She turns towards her end table and grabs her phone. She holds it above her face as she opens her conversations. Her eyes quickly go over her unread messages: six texts from Gabe, one text from James, two texts from people asking for notes. Her eyes land on the most recent one, from an unknown number. Her eyebrows furrow in confusion as she opens it.

‘ _Hey! It’s Louis. We talked at lunch, in case you forgot me already :))))) I was wondering if you wanna maybe hang out tomorrow? My friends totally want to meet you._ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise in the next chapter clem and vi will actually interact :)))


End file.
